(Chicago Tonight)

CHICAGO (AP) — The $8.7 billion expansion of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport has gotten underway.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Wednesday joined airline executives at a groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of his plan to remake O’Hare: a $1.2 billion expansion of the airport’s 25-year-old international terminal.

It is expected by officials that by 2021, the terminal will have 10 new gates, 350,000 more square feet, 15 new locations for restaurants and retail, and an expanded checkpoint with six new security lanes to speed passenger processing.

The international terminal renovation begins an expansion that will include the addition of a new Global Terminal, three new concourses and 25 percent more gates, which will result in a 60 percent larger airport terminal area.

The revamped O’Hare has a scheduled completion year of 2028.

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